The Lipscomb University invites the community to kick off the holiday season Tuesday, Dec. 3, with Nashville’s own Amy Grant and an all-star line-up of artists at the ninth annual Lighting of the Green concert.

Grant hosts the annual free outdoor holiday concert, one of the earliest traditional seasonal events in Nashville. This year’s performance will also feature Lennon & Maisy from the hit ABC show “Nashville,” contemporary Christian artists Nicole C. Mullen and David Phelps, Hymns for Hunger & Friends, featuring contemporary Christian artists Cindy Morgan and Andrew Greer; country and pop singer Brenda Lee, whose “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” has been a holiday standard for more than 50 years; singer-songwriter Ben Rector and the Lipscomb student choruses.

Festivities begin at 4 p.m. and the concert begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Allen Arena Mall on the Lipscomb campus. Free photos with Santa are available. Food is also available for purchase at the Bennett Campus Center’s Chick-Fil-A, Papa John’s Pizza, Blue Coast Burrito, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Zebi’s and Starbucks. The event will be held rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather, festivities will be held in Allen Arena.

This year’s Lighting of the Green also includes an online Christmas auction, featuring dozens of exciting and unique items. Visit www.LipscombChristmas-auction.com for more details. Merry Marketplace, a collection of holiday vendors, is also a traditional feature of Lighting of the Green festivities. The Marketplace will take place in the Allen Arena lobby and concourse beginning at 4 p.m. Both the online Christmas auction and Merry Marketplace benefit Lipscomb scholarships.

The evening will conclude with the lighting of a huge Christmas tree in the Allen Arena Mall.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a gift of canned food or cash for the Second Harvest Food Bank. Guests are also encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to the concert. Handicap parking will be available in the Allen Arena parking garage.

Christian music pioneer Amy Grant has won six Grammys, had six No. 1 hits and sold more than 30 million albums in her career. She has won six Grammy Awards, 25 Dove Awards and was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2005. To date, she has released 15 albums.

Brenda Lee, is a pop and country singer who had 37 United States chart hits, including “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “I’m Sorry” and “Dynamite.” She is a member of the rock and roll, country music and rockabilly halls of fame. She lives in Nashville.

Singer-songwriter Cindy Morgan entered the contemporary Christian music scene with her debut album “Real Life” in 1992. She has released eight albums and is a Dove Award-winning Female Vocalist of the Year.

Nicole C. Mullen, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, is an award-winning contemporary Christian singer and songwriter. Mullen, who has recorded nine albums, has received two “Female Vocalist of the Year” Dove Awards and was nominated for a Grammy Award for her album, “Everyday People.”

David Phelps, is a Christian singer and songwriter known for singing tenor in the Gaither Vocal Band. He has released 13 solo albums. A native of Tomball, Texas, Phelps has recorded 12 albums with the Gaither Vocal Band.

Ben Rector is a pop rock artist who has released five albums. His most recent album, “The Walking In Between,” was released this year. Tracks from his 2010 “Into the Morning” and 2011 “Something Like This.” Tracks from both albums appeared in multiple television shows, including “One Tree Hill.” “Castle,” “The Neighbors” and “Pretty Little Liars.”

Lennon & Maisy are the singing sisters duo from the ABC hit “Nashville.” The duo is composed of sisters Lennon and Maisy Stella and are the daughters of Brad and Marylynne Stella, who perform together as The Stellas. Lennon & Maisy’s cover of the Lumineers’ “Ho, Hey” reached top 40 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in April 2013.

Hymns for Hunger is a tour featuring contemporary Christian artists Cindy Morgan and Andrew Greer, presented by Food for the Hungry. This tour, which launched last fall, helps raise awareness and resources for local hunger relief organizations.